PS I Love You
by the.goal.is.greatness
Summary: "Know this: I would marry you yesterday." [Nakatsu x Mizuki] [repost]
1. Chapter 01 Affection

**Title:** P.S. I Love You  
 **Genre:** Romance  
 **Rating:** K+  
 **Pairing:** Nakatsu x Mizuki  
 **Spoilers:** End of the manga  
 **Summary:** "Know this: I would marry you yesterday."  
 **Word Count:** 1,184  
 **Warnings:** N/A

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine. Summary is from Music from Another Room.

 **A/N:** Repost from my .Liars account. Apologies to anyone who had followed this from that end.

* * *

Nakatsu Shuichi sighed heavily as he rifled through his mail, tossing all the unwanted envelopes gracelessly onto the counter of his dorm room. Junk. Junk. Bill. Letter from his mother. Letter from Mizuki. Ju-

He froze suddenly, before a large grin broke out onto his still boyish face. Throwing the rest of the mail towards the counter (why did he even _have_ so much mail?) he gleefully tore open Mizuki's letter. As he flopped bonelessly onto the only couch in the room, he started to read.

 _Dear Nakatsu-san,_

 _It's so great to hear from you! It's wonderful that you're doing so well on your team – maybe I'll come over and watch you play sometimes! I'd love to see you in action, it'd be just like the old days back at Osaka!_

 _I can't believe Sekime-san and Rie-san's little girl is already two! Doesn't it seem like just yesterday we were all at their wedding? The pictures are just adorable! Tell them I think so, will you?_

 _Which reminds me, when are you going to get yourself a girlfriend, Nakatsu-san? I'd like to see you all dressed up at your own wedding. You'd be a great dad, I think. With really cute kids!_

Shuichi snorted at this. Him? A good father? He'd probably be a horrible influence. But Mizuki, now she'd be a great parent, a great mother. He smiled just thinking about it.

 _And… no, we haven't set a date for the wedding yet. I know it's been two years since Izumi proposed and all, but… I don't know. He's so busy with his high-jumping, he doesn't really have time for anything else. I hardly see him as it is, I don't even want to think about having to plan a wedding by myself. But, I guess I can't be mad at him. He's pursuing his dream. So I should just be happy for him, right? Even if it is a long time to wait._

He frowned. Really? Two years later and still no date set?

 _Anyway, that's enough complaining from me! Everything is going great anyway! I'm going to graduate in the spring, so maybe I'll come visit you then! It's only… four months away! What do you think? Think that would be okay? I'm sure my parents would be okay with it, as a graduation present._

He felt the smile tugging at his lips turn into a full-blown grin. Mizuki, come visit him here? That would be _awesome_! And maybe Sano would still be practicing. He seemed really into t, if what Mizuki was saying was true. And then he'd have her all to himself.

 _Well, I hope to hear from you soon, Nakatsu-san, and I hope you all won that game you were talking about before!_

 _With love,_

 _Mizuki_

Shuichi read the letter twice before he set it on the coffee table, running a hand over his face. They _still_ didn't have a wedding date? That was… certainly odd. Sekime and Rie had known each other for less time than those two and they were happily married with a two-year-old, bouncing, baby, girl.

And it's not like he didn't think Sano and Mizuki didn't love each other. He could _tell_ they were in love with each other. Hell, _everyone_ could tell they were in love with each other. So he, like everyone else, was wondering what the damn hold up was. High School, college. Frick, Sano had moved across an entire _ocean_ to go to school with her. So why the hell weren't they married yet?!

Another sigh, and he eyes trailed to the pictures handing on the wall over his couch. Pictures of his family, his hometown, the team at Osaka, Taiki. Then pictures with Mizuki. Working at Umeda Rio's bed-and-breakfast, the beauty pageant.

Ugh. He covered his face with his hands. That was the reason he didn't have a girlfriend, that was the reason he wasn't anywhere _near_ getting married or having kids. He was still totally and completely in love with her. He'd thought, back when she had left Osaka, that his feelings would fade, especially after Sana went off after her a year later. But when he met her again at Sekime's wedding, all those feelings came rushing back and he realized they'd never go away. He'd wind up like Umeda-sensei, all angry and emo, in love with someone who would never love him back. Fan-bloody-tastic.

Heaving himself to his feet, he shuffled towards the kitchen, ransacking through draws until he found a clean sheet of paper and a pen. Leaning against the counter he started to write Mizuki back.

 _Dear Mizuki,_

 _First of all, can't you call me Shuichi, now? We've known each other for, what, five, six years? I think that counts as us being pretty good friends, right?_

 _Yeah, I'll tell them you like the pictures. You can go visit all of them if you come out and visit me this summer! We'll make a big day of it. Sounds like fun, right? Maybe Taiki and Nakao-chan and Noe can all come, too. Is Sano going to come out with you? He seems busy training, doesn't he?_

He paused, trying to think of how he felt about what Sano, how to put it into words.

 _And Mizuki, I think you do have a right to be angry at him. I mean, making you wait two years to even set a wedding date? That's not right, you know? If I were engaged to you, I would have married you a long time ago, before someone else comes along and gets you. I mean, Sekime was still in school when he and Rie-san got married. He was still in school when she got pregnant, too. So I don't see what's stopping Sano from marrying you now. Especially since you're graduating so soon._

He read that paragraph over twice. Yeah, he supposed that was how he felt.

 _And on that note, congratulations on your upcoming graduation! I wish I could go to America and be there for you on your big day, but we're having matches all summer, so… Sorry. But it would be fantastic if you could come out here. You could probably stay with Sekime and Rie-san. Or maybe Nakao._

 _And yes! We did win that match! Three-to-one! It was awesome, I wish you could have seen it!_

 _Hope to hear from you soon about you coming back to Japan!_

Another pause.

 _And Mizuki… I really do think Sano has waited too long, more than he should. If I were him… Well, know this: I would marry you yesterday if I could._

 _Shuichi_

He stopped, the tip of his pen paused an inch above the paper, before setting it down to write one more thing.

 _P.S. I love you._


	2. Chapter 02 Adoration

**Title:** P.S. I Love You  
 **Genre:** Romance  
 **Rating:** K+  
 **Pairing:** Nakatsu x Mizuki  
 **Spoilers:** End of the manga  
 **Summary:** "Know this: I would marry you yesterday."  
 **Word Count:** 1,488  
 **Warnings:** N/A

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine. Summary is from Music from Another Room.

 **A/N:** Repost from my .Liars account. Apologies to anyone who had followed this from that end.

* * *

How long did it take a letter to get from Japan to America?

Nakatsu frowned angrily to himself. It had been… a month? Something like a month, since he had sent his letter to Mizuki. It had to have gotten there by now. I mean, a month was plenty of time for her to have sent a letter back, too, wasn't it.

Cue Nakatsu panicking.

Maybe she thought he was being too forward? What the hell had he been thinking, writing that stupid P.S. on there? (Besides, of course, that he _did_ love her?). Maybe she never wanted to talk to him ever again, because she thought he was crazy for holding onto that stupid crush he had had on her for so long. Or…maybe Sano had read the letter and was so angry he had locked Mizuki in the house so he could keep her all to himself and even at this moment he was on his way to Japan to give Nakatsu a what-for and…

Okay, maybe he was going a little overboard there.

He sighed as the elevator doors opened on his floor, running a hand through his already messy hair. He was going to have a nervous breakdown and he was barely twenty. Great.

But still, what if she _was_ mad at him? He could deal with loving her and her not knowing, at least he got to talk to her and be friends. But what if she never wanted to speak to him ever again. He didn't… he didn't know what he'd do.

He had just stuck his key into his door when he heard someone shouting his name and looking up to see his neighbor from a few doors down hurrying towards him. "Nakatsu-san," the disheveled brunet panted when he reached the blond. "Here," he continued, holding out an envelope to him. "This was in my mailbox by mistake." He grinned. "All the way from America!"

In retrospect, Nakatsu figured maybe he shouldn't have snatched the letter out of the man's hand and ran into his apartment, slamming the door in his startled face. He wondered if his neighbor could hear the hastily called, "Thank you!" he shouted over his shoulder at his closed door. He shrugged. Oh well. He only knew one person in America who would write to him.

Mizuki.

All but tearing the letter open, he threw the empty envelope somewhere in the general direction of the trashcan and flopped onto his couch, both dreading and looking forward to reading the letter.

 _Dear_ (something was crossed out here) _Shuichi,_

 _I… don't know what to say. To almost anything you wrote really. It's all a lot to think about. I mean, except for the thing about Sekime-san and Rie-san's baby (thanks for telling them) and your soccer match (congratulations)._

 _About my wedding… Do you really think two years is too long to wait? I love Izumi, I do, I just, never thought I'd have to wait this long, you know? Once he proposed, I thought I'd get my fairytale ending, the one I'd been dreaming about since the first time I say him jump. But now… it seems like I'm always waiting._

 _I mean, I brought up Sekime-san and Rei-san and Izumi just said that not everyone has time to get married and start a family while they're in school and that, didn't I want to see him high jump anymore?_

Nakatsu frowned. That was… kind of rude of him.

 _But it's not fair to put the blame on me for this, is it? I'm not a bad person for thinking it's not my fault, right? Besides, I's not like Izumi would be the one who would be pregnant, it's not like that would slow down his career at all. I don't think. Maybe he doesn't want children. I suppose that's possible. But when you see him with Shin-san, he always seems like he'd be a good dad. He could at least tell me if he doesn't want kid. Even though I do. Maybe that's why he's delaying the wedding?_

Nakatsu's frown deepened. He was pretty sure Sano wanted kids, so there went that theory of hers. It was a good try though. If he didn't know any better, he'd say Sano was just getting cold feet. But from the way Mizuki put it, he was getting pulled into the high-pressured life of pro-sports and was becoming one of those career-driven athletes that are always on the news for some reason or another.

 _As for some of the other things you wrote… Nakatsu… Shuichi, I don't know what to say. I honestly can't believe you still feel that way about me. I thought that was just some stupid High School crush. But, you'd marry me? You shouldn't joke about things like that. It's… not funny._

 _Maybe I should stay here after graduation?_

(something here was scratched out so hard there was almost a hole in the paper)

 _With love,_

 _Mizuki_

Nakatsu sat up so he could set the letter on his coffee table before covering his face with shaking hands. How was he going to fix this?

It took him a good twenty minutes before he forced himself to go find a blank piece of paper and a pen. And another ten minutes, during which he stared at the paper blankly, before he started writing.

 _Dear Mizuki,_

 _See, was calling me Shuichi really so hard? I'm actually surprised you wrote me back at all. I thought you'd be mad at me forever for… everything I wrote._

 _And yes, Mizuki, two years is too long for an engagement. Especially when everyone can see that you two love each other. Everyone remembers how happy you were Sekime and Rei-san's wedding when Sano proposed. You guys were like the poster couple for happiness. And I'm not saying that that's changed. Maybe it hasn't. But it seems to me, Sano is spending too much time thinking about his career. If he loved you, it wouldn't matter what he was doing, as long as you were with him. That's what I think anyway. He should be happy just to be with you._

 _You shouldn't let Sano talk to you like that. You're the reason he's high-jumping anyway,_ _of course_ _you want to see him jump. Just not at the expense of the rest of your life, right? And don't' you dare let him turn this around so it seems like it's your fault. This is_ _his_ _fault, Mizuki. And you need to either sit him down and_ _make_ _him tell you why he's waiting so long (and make him give you a good reason, too not something stupid, like anything that involves the words "my career") or let him go so you can move on to someone else._

 _And don't think that that's just me trying to… I don't know, pick you up or something, because it's not. I just want to see you happy, no matter who you're with. Sano, hell, if you were happy with that idiot Nanba, I'd be okay, just as long as you're happy. And maybe he doesn't want kids, but I don't think that's the problem. Besides, I don't think you'd be happy without at least a few kids, yeah?_

Here's where things got tricky. Nakatsu had two choices. He could play off what he write in the last letter as a joke that just want funny. Or he could go with it, tell the truth, finally get these feelings off his chest. He took a deep breath.

 _I've always felt this way about you, Mizuki, since almost the first time I saw you, even when I thought you were a guy, when you first transferred to Osaka. It's not a joke, I promise. I don't know what to say to make you believe me, except only to tell you that it's true and to beg you not to hate me for it. It's not like I can help it, you know? But I wouldn't change the way I feel about you even if I could._

 _I really hope this doesn't change your mind about visiting in the spring. I'd… really like to see you again, even if it is just as friends. The way I feel doesn't have to change anything between us Mizuki. After all, we stayed friends after I followed you around at school like a stray puppy, didn't we?_

 _Please come visit me?_

 _Shuichi_

The pen hovered over the page for a split second before he signed it the same way he did last time.

 _P.S. I love you._


	3. Chapter 03 Devotion

**Title:** P.S. I Love You  
 **Genre:** Romance  
 **Rating:** K+  
 **Pairing:** Nakatsu x Mizuki  
 **Spoilers:** End of the manga  
 **Summary:** "Know this: I would marry you yesterday."  
 **Word Count:** 818  
 **Warnings:** N/A

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine. Summary is from Music from Another Room.

 **A/N:** Repost from my .Liars account. Apologies to anyone who had followed this from that end.

* * *

After biting his nails for weeks, awaiting her letter, Nakatsu was almost afraid to open it once he held the envelope in his hands.

 _Almost afraid?_ He snorted, starting at the paper. Who was he kidding? He was absolutely _terrified_ to open it and read what was written there. But… he wasn't called the 'Burning Lion' in High School because he was a coward. So, with trembling fingers, he forced himself to open it.

And stared completely numbly at the shortest letter he had ever read.

 _Dear Shuichi,_

 _Call me, 555-2437._

 _Love, Mizuki_.

Call… her…?

The thought had honestly never crossed his mind. Though he supposed it should have, seeing as how life-altering these letters were becoming. It seemed like a completely logical course of action. But, even after calculating the time in America and deciding it wasn't too late to call her, he must have stared at the cell phone in his hands for at least ten minutes, before he scraped together enough courage to actually call her.

As it rang, he prayed Sano didn't answer. He missed his old schoolmate, sure. But he wasn't too pleased with the way his friend was treating Mizuki right now. And also, he had no idea what he'd say to Sano should he answer. _Can I speak with your fiancée? … Why? … Well, I'm kinda trying to talk her out of marrying you… yeah, is that okay?..._ Yeah, that could go over well.

"Hello?"

Nakatsu sighed contently. Both because it was not Sano's voice on the other end of the phone. And because the sound of Mizuki soft voice actually send a thrill through him all the way to his toes. "… I got your letter."

There was a pause as she registered the voice (maybe he should have greeted her first?). "Na – Shuichi?"

"Mm," he agreed, glad he had finally gotten her to say his name. "Hey."

"H-hey."

A pause as they both tried to decide on what to say. "Did you," he swallowed around a tongue that suddenly felt like sandpaper. "Did you need to tell me something?" He hoped she didn't want to never speak to him again, he didn't know what he'd do.

"I…" She paused. "I called off the engagement."

Nakatsu blinked. "Mizuki… if you did this because of something I said – "

"No wait! I, um, well, I thought about what you said – wrote – a lot. And I… I love Izumi, but I can't, I don't want…" She trailed off and Nakatsu could imagine the frustrated look on her face.

"You don't want to play second-best to high-jumping…" He said tentatively. "Am I right?"

"I… yes." The answer was so quiet he could barely hear it. "I… I told him that I wasn't going to wait anymore. I want to get _married_ Na – Shuichi. I'm just not sure I want to get married to Izumi anymore."

Nakatsu was silent for a long time, before falling back onto his couch and staring at his ceiling. "Don't make a choice like this because of me."

"But – "

"Wait." He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "You've been in love with Sano for… well, forever. And, if he makes you happy, well, you should stay with him. Even if you have arguments and have to work really hard at it, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess… But, Shuichi… what should I do?"

Did Fate really hate him enough to make him answer this question? Apparently so, because he found himself answering honestly, even though what he really wanted to tell her was to just marry him. "I think you should give him a time frame. If he can't get a move on by whatever it is, I … I think you should find someone knew." _Like me,_ he added silently. "But give him a chance to get his priorities straight."

"… So I should… give him a second change?"

Nakatsu sighed. "Yeah."

"Alright, I'll – " She broke off suddenly and the phone took on that muffled quality that meant she had her hand over the mouthpiece and was talking to someone else. "Okay, Izumi just got home from practice, so I… I'll just go on then. Thanks… Shuichi."

"N – no problem. And Mizuki, I …" He hesitated, but continued. If he could say it in High School when he thought she was a guy, he could do it over the phone damn it! "I love you."

The next moment seemed to stretch on forever, and the words Mizuki uttered before hanging up rang loudly in his ears. "… I know."


	4. Chapter 04 Worship

**Title:** P.S. I Love You  
 **Genre:** Romance  
 **Rating:** K+  
 **Pairing:** Nakatsu x Mizuki  
 **Spoilers:** End of the manga  
 **Summary:** "Know this: I would marry you yesterday."  
 **Word Count:** 708  
 **Warnings:** N/A

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine. Summary is from Music from Another Room.

* * *

 **A/N:** Repost from my .Liars account. Apologies to anyone who had followed this from that end.

The letter that Nakatsu received about a week after his phone conversation with Mizuki was stamped with priority shipping, and was opened with confusion. What could be so important?

 _Dear Shuichi,_

 _I gave Izumi a month. One month, to decide to marry me before the end of the year. And if I can't… I told him I was leaving. I didn't mention you Shuichi, I know you two are friends and I didn't want you guys to argue over me, so don't worry about that._

 _And I … I want to thank you. I never would have had the courage to do this if it weren't for you, and I might never have gotten married. I'd have just been engaged my entire life. So thank you, no matter how everything turns out, thank you._

 _I'll get in touch with you when Izumi makes his decision, all right?_

 _With love,_

 _Mizuki_

Nakatsu sighed, shaking his head and smiling softly. He ruins her engagement and she thanks him. Not only that, she tells him not to worry about her ex-fiancé being mad at him. Mizuki really was something else. She had a heart of gold. Which was probably why she spent so long engaged to someone and throwing aside her happiness for his. She forwent her desire for marriage in order to make Sano happy. There was no one in the world that king, that sweet, that… pure-hearted. Which was part of the reason why he loved her.

Reaching into a draw and grabbing the necessary items from what was becoming his "letter writing stash", he leaned against the counter, tapping the pen aimlessly on the marble surface as he thought about what to write.

 _Dear Mizuki,_

 _Well, I hope everything works out for you then. Hopefully old Sano will see what he's giving up and realize that high-jumping isn't worth it, even if he's great, if it comes at the cost of losing you._

 _And Mizuki… I don't really care if Sano is mad at me, it's not something that really bothers me. I told you before it's not right to make you wait so long to get married. That pretty much means I'm not too happy with him, I haven't actually talked to him in… a while. Maybe when this is all over and done with, whether you marry him or not, I'll talk to him and sort everything out. But until then… I'm going to have to side with you._

 _And you're welcome, but, you know you don't have to thank me, right? I wanted you to do something about the engagement because I care about you. You don't have to thank me for that, it's just something I wanted to do._

 _I'll be waiting to hear how everything goes._

 _And, as always, love you._

 _Shuichi_

After he sent the letter, he stared at his ceiling, arms folding behind his head, feet crossed at the ankles, wondering how the hell his life had led him here. He thought that, once Sano had proposed to Mizuki, the pair of them could have been married faster than you could blink. And he could have been happy for her, happy for _them_. and now look at where they all were.

* * *

A week went by, then another. Then, as Nakatsu stared woefully at his broom and contemplated on how much he did _not_ want to sweep, his doorbell rang. A grin split his face as he found an excuse not to do his household chores and he bounded over, wondering which teammate had come over and what excuse they had to drink.

"Hey!" He cried, reaching out to fling open the door. "What's… up…" He trailed off, eyes flying wide in shock and his jaw dropping open. Because standing in his doorway, wearing mismatched clothes, hair everyone, with two suitcases and a book bag, and tears streaming down blotchy, red cheeks…

… was Mizuki.


	5. Chapter 05 Fancy

**Title:** P.S. I Love You  
 **Genre:** Romance  
 **Rating:** K+  
 **Pairing:** Nakatsu x Mizuki  
 **Spoilers:** End of the manga  
 **Summary:** "Know this: I would marry you yesterday."  
 **Word Count:** 882  
 **Warnings:** N/A

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine. Summary is from Music from Another Room.

 **A/N:** Repost from my .Liars account. Apologies to anyone who had followed this from that end.

* * *

Mizuki started crying again the moment she saw him and Nakatsu quickly ushered her into his apartment as he saw his neighbor's doors start to open. "Mizuki," he said, taking her bags and leading her to the couch. "Mizuki, what…" He gestured helpless. "What happened?"

For a moment, she looked like she had regained some control of her emotions. "Izumi left!" She cried, before breaking down and sobbing into her hands again.

He tried to comfort her, but really what could he do but put an arm around her and be a shoulder to cry on? He could tell her that Sano was an idiot. A really _big_ idiot if he was seriously leaving Mizuki. But she already knew that he thought that. He could tell her it was going to be okay, but he didn't know that, couldn't say it for sure.

"He said," she hiccupped, "he said that _I_ was the one who wanted him to start high-jumping again. And – and what was the point if – if – if he didn't try to r-reach the top?" And then she was crying in earnest again.

Nakatsu was at a loss, he didn't deal with emotionally distraught women on a regular basis. But he figured a warm cup of tea couldn't hurt, so he got up and made as fast as he could. When he returned, he saw she had stopped crying and was turned sideways on his couch so she could look at the pictures hanging over it.

"I miss those days," she said, when he saw her staring at picture of their dorm mates from Osaka.

She turned when he sat down beside her, giving him a watery smile. "Yeah, I wish we could have stayed there forever."

"Aw, but then I might never have realized you were a girl," he said, flashing her a grin, before he held out a paper towel so she could wipe her face. "Here."

"Thanks." After scrubbing at her cheeks and gratefully taking a sip of tea, she sighed. "But you loved my anyway, didn't you?"

"Hm?"

"When you thought I was a boy," she clarified. "You still told me you loved me."

His face blushing a sudden scarlet, Nakatsu turned away in embarrassment. "Yeah, well, I loved you, and that was that." He looked back at her and grinned, trying to ignore his red face. "You know?" He blinked when Mizuki just stared at him, eyes large and expressive, and just _staring_. "What?"

"Can I … can I try something?"

He was thrown off by the uncharacteristically serious look on her face. "Uhhh… sure. I – I guess."

"And you won't be mad, right?"

He laughed lightly. "Mizuki, I could never be mad at – mmph!"

His sentence abruptly cut off, his eyes flew open in shock when Mizuki suddenly leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. She was gone just as quickly and Nakatsu found himself staring at her in astonishment, eyes wide, jaw slack, and just plain dumbstruck.

Mizuki blushed. "I'm sorry! I just… I just wanted to know… to know what it was like to, um," she glanced away from him. "To kiss someone who would… love me no matter what… I'm sorry."

Shaking his head both to clear it and will away the insistent flush on his cheeks, Nakatsu grabbed her by the arm and yanked her towards him, crushing her against his chest as he hugged her. He could feel her gasp of surprise as he held her there, resting his chin on top of her soft hair. "Don't be sorry Mizuki, don't _ever_ be sorry." Leaning back slightly so he could look her in the face, sincerity shining in his eyes. He smiled, hesitantly, eyes bright. "I love you, Mizuki. I've love you for a long time, I've dreamed about kissing you _forever_."

"I –"

"Wait, let me finish." This was really hard to say. What he really wanted to do was press his mouth to hers and hold her tight and never let her go, never stop kissing her, and never stop telling her that he loved her. But, he thought, maybe it was a little too soon for that. "I would love nothing more than to have you kiss me, but… I think you need some time to get over Sano."

Her eyes were downcast. "Sorry."

"Hey now," he said, a smile in his voice as he tipped her chin up with one of his hands, forcing her to look at him. "Don't be like that. I'll tell you what: I don't have a roommate, so why don't you stay here until Sano's time is up. _Then_ ," he said, slightly louder, when she would have interrupted, "then we'll," he swallowed thickly, "we'll see about… about us. Okay?"

She stared up at him, his beseeching eyes looking down at her, smiling even though she could tell he was nervous about her answer, about the situation in general, and she smiled back. "Okay."


	6. Chapter 06 Love

**Title:** P.S. I Love You  
 **Genre:** Romance  
 **Rating:** K+  
 **Pairing:** Nakatsu x Mizuki  
 **Spoilers:** End of the manga  
 **Summary:** "Know this: I would marry you yesterday."  
 **Word Count:** 1,943  
 **Warnings:** N/A

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine. Summary is from Music from Another Room.

 **A/N:** Repost from my .Liars account. Apologies to anyone who had followed this from that end.

* * *

One week passed, then two, and then it was a month since Mizuki had shown up crying on his doorstep. It seemed like such a short amount of time, yet, at the same time, it seemed like they had been living like this forever.

It amazed him everyday how well they fit together, how easily they had synched their daily lives with each other. How Mizuki still remembered exactly how Nakatsu took his tea and how he could recite all of her favorite foods and make them for her. How seamlessly they rotated chores or any other aspect of their lives together. He wondered if she and Sano had fit together like this, like puzzle pieces. He wanted to ask her, but couldn't, didn't want to upset her if it wasn't true, didn't want to upset himself if it _was_.

How could any two people in the world be as perfect together as they were, he wondered, as he entered the apartment to Mizuki's brightly smiling face. This must be what marriage was. Coming home to the same woman, knowing that each day you loved her more and more, knowing that you never wanted to see anyone else in the kitchen washing dishes, that hers was the first and last face you wanted to see each day, every day, until the day you died.

It would kill him to give this up.

What if she decided that she wanted to move on, more on her own, wanted to live on her own, away from him, or worse, what if she decided that the kiss was just a mistake, hormones or something, and that she didn't want to be with him _that way_. What if she –

The ringing of the doorbell broke him out of his thoughts and when Mizuki glanced over his shoulder towards the door, he shooed her away and told her that he would get it. "Can I … help … you…?" The smile brightening his face as he swung open the door slowly faded as he stared in absolute shock.

"Hey, Nakatsu. Is Mizuki here?"

"Who's at the door… Shuichi…" Mizuki's voice trailed off as she peered over his shoulder, curious as to why he was standing there so stiffly. The smile froe on her face.

"Hey, Mizuki," the visitor greeted, with a half-smile.

"H- hey, I- Izumi."

Nakatsu blinked, closing his mouth, which had fallen open in shock, and stepped to the side, taking Mizuki gently by the arm and pulling her with him. "Come on in, man."

Stepping over the threshold, Sano glanced around, as silent and stoic as Nakatsu remembered him from High School. Well, maybe he hadn't exactly been _stoic_ , but he hadn't been a Chatty Cathy, either. And time certainly hadn't improved his verbal skills. Nakatsu watched as dark eyes took in the apartment with interest.

The kitchen, off to the right, with pots and pans set out, since Mizuki was in the middle of making dinner, something that was starting to resemble sukiyaki, which Sano remembered as one of Nakatsu's favorite foods. But there was a bowl of candy next to the stove, and Sano knew for a fact that Mizuki usually munched on something sweet while she cooked. The living room was littered with evidence that the two of them were comfortable with each other. The end-table on one side was filled with sports magazines, the one on the other side was filled with dog training books. A sports bag and a soccer ball were on the floor. He could see pictures on the wall behind the couch, some that he knew belonged to Mizuki had been stuck randomly into frames. A picture of her brother, of her family back home, of her and Julie, of her and Yujiro, even one of her and Sano. And several that could tell had been taken recently, of him and Mizuki out eating ice cream, with Nakatu's soccer team, at some sort of festival.

He sighed, eyes vacant. They seemed to be getting along… well.

It reminded him of the beginning of his relationship with Mizuki. She'd have dinner cooking and they'd eat together. When they'd go on dates and had time to just… be a couple.

And then his career had taken off and suddenly, it seemed like there was no time for the two of them to be alone anymore. He was always training, or at press conferences, or meetings, or competitions. And before he knew it, they'd drifted farther and farther apart. It wasn't as if he wanted it to happen, but… it dead.

And then, Mizuki was suddenly confronting him about it, looing angrier than he could ever remember seeing her, almost yelling, even as tears filled her eyes, asking if he still wanted to get married, asking if he was taking so long because he didn't love her anymore. He tried to tell her that wasn't true, but then… then she'd said something that stopped him dead.

"Shu – Well, I think if you loved me, you'd want to marry me."

"I…"

"No, Izumi. Let me finish, please." She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. "I think that we should get married before the end of the year. I'll give you a month to make a decision. If you say no, I … I'm leaving."

She had walked out then, going to work, and Sano had sat down on the floor right where he stood. She would… leave? But… he… they…

For a while they'd lived in a sort of daze together. Until one day a few weeks later when Sano's manager had told him he'd been asked to train for the Olympics with a group of select individuals. And the first thought in his mind wasn't Mizuki, it wasn't there marital problems, it was how hard he had worked to get here.

And that's when he had realized that… he didn't need Mizuki anymore. Well, not in a mean manner, but he didn't need her by his side anymore. He still loved her, but… he wasn't _in love_ with her. He… he didn't want to marry her anymore. He wanted to love her with the same affection he felt from back in High School, wanted to feel those same feelings that made him try everything to make her happy. But, they'd changed, matured, grown up since those days. They weren't the same anymore. And neither were their feelings.

And when he told her, he didn't know who was more upset, her… or him.

Standing in their living room (because it was theirs, there was no escaping that), he felt at peace. Mizuki could be happy here, and that's what he wanted for her, her happiness.

"Ummm… Izumi…" Mizuki said softly. "What… what are you doing here?"

He turned around, smiling at her gently. "I came to see you." He glanced down at Nakatsu's hold on her wrist, protective, loving, the same as always. "To see how you were doing."

"Haven't you done enough, Sano?" Nakatsu asked bluntly.

Holding up his hands in a sign of surrender, he said, "Calm down, Nakatsu, I'm not here to take her back."

"You… you're not?"

He winced at the hurt in her voice. But, even as he opened his mouth to tell her what he told her before, that _she_ got him back into high-jumping, and that it was _her_ that made him want to reach the top… he just, got caught up in it, and had… changed along the way. But she was already speaking.

"Actually, I didn't think you'd come here at all. What, with your hard training schedule and all."

He smiled backed. "I'm never too busy for you, Mizuki."

"Seemed like it before," Nakatsu muttered angrily.

Mizuki shushed him, sliding her wrist from his grasp.

"He's right, Mizuki. Back then, I was too busy for you, and… I'm sorry."

She was still smiling, stepping forward to stand in front of him. "No, you were just too busy for a marriage _and_ your dream. And… you know what? I'm okay with that now." She glanced backwards at a pouting Nakatsu and her smile grew softer, more tender, and Sano could see how much they had come to care for him in the past month. "Shuichi… helped."

"I can see that."

When she glanced back at him and saw that he had caught her staring, her face flushed, and she lowered her eyes, embarrassed.

Sano laughed lightly at her. Still as cute as ever. "I just came to apologize, see if you were alright. But, I can see you're doing fine." He glanced from her to the man behind her, then back, his smile widening. "I'm in Japan for some staff meetings, so… maybe we can… meet for lunch or something?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile, "I'd like that." Nakatsu huffed when she gave Sano a hug, and he walked away to leave them there.

After Mizuki saw Sano to the door, she followed Nakatsu's steps to his room, where he sat on the edge of his bed, cradling his head in his hands. "Shuichi?"

"Not going out with Sano?"

Her eyes widened. He was jealous! She smiled, walking over to sit next to him. "Shuichi." He didn't say anything. "Shuichi, look at me." He did so, grudgingly lifting his head to stare at her, eyes filled with jealousy and sadness, like he honestly thought she would leave him. "Do you remember what you told me when I first came here?" His brow furrowed as he thought about it. "You told me," she continued, staring down at her hands, "that I needed time to get over Izumi, and that we should wait until the time limit I gave him was up. It's past that time limit and… well, I've had enough time to think about everything."

He sat up straight to stare at her, both wanting and not wanting for her to finish.

"I've realized that… Izumi… he is very dear to me, and, he probably always will be. I was in love with him for a long time, but… people change, and well," she looked up at him, smiling brightly, "he's not the one I love, like that, anymore."

"What are you…"

"You have always been there for me, Shuichi, ever since I met you. You've always been supportive of me, open about your feelings for me, and, I have the feeling that if I told you to stop playing soccer, you'd do it."

"Of course I would! I would – "

She held up her hand. "The point is, to Izumi, high-jumping is everything, and, well, I _am_ the one who wanted him to get back into it, it'd be wrong to make him stop, he loves it so much. And I know what you're going to say," she said over his interruption, "that if he loves me, he'd stop, but, if I love him, should I want him to be happy? By letting him go, we can both be happy. We can both find new people to love."

"Mizuki…?"

"And I… I have already found my new person." Nakatsu blushed bright red as she leaned forward, closer to him. "Oh, and p.s.," she said with a grin, cheeks a faint pink, "I love you." And then she pressed her lips to his.


End file.
